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If you don't transfer files often, or if you use a computer on which you don't have administrative rights, you might find yourself in a situation where you need to FTP a file to a server or download files from an FTP site--and you don't have an FTP client installed. Plenty of FTP applications are fast and free, but if you don't want to download and install anything, you can try AnyClient, a free Java-based FTP client that runs directly in your browser.

It's not a lot of trouble to download and install an FTP application such as FileZilla or to connect to an FTP site using a Web browser (most browsers support FTP). However, if you're using a computer where you don't have permissions to install software or don't want to go through the trouble of downloading and installing an app just to upload a single file, AnyClient is a worthwhile site to bookmark.

The service is simple and runs in a Java applet, so you can use any browser on just about any operating system. AnyClient's strength is its simplicity: On the left is a list of the data on your computer, and on the right you see the remote site and the files there. Navigate to the files you want to transfer, either on your local computer or the FTP server, then choose where you want the files to go, and click the arrows to upload or download the files. You can select whether you want to transfer the files in ASCII or binary format and even create, delete, rename, and manage directories both on your computer and the remote system.

The applet allows you to save sites you've connected to in the past, so you can connect to them again easily. You can create as many profiles as you choose, and can connect to any site you choose using FTP, SFTP, SSL FTP, and WebDAV. And if you really love AnyClient, the developers offer a downloadable version that you can install on Windows, MacOS, and Linux. Both the web app and the downloadable client are free.